Selective vending machine



Nov. 2 1926.

1,605,516 w.c. CUTLER ET AL SELECTIVE VENDING MACHINE Filed Sept. 2, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 2 1926. 1,605,516 w. c. CUTLER ET AL SELECTIVE VENDING MACHINE Filed Sept. 2, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 22 It 1' I II I z I r174 P24 S: i #1 28 42 i 17 l 28 r 1 II [J1 Patented Nov. 2, 1926.

UNITED TATES-PATE T OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. CUTLER, o'r'ro w. TIM vI, AND BRYCE A. sIvI 'rII, or GLENDALE, cALIEoE- NIA, ASSIGNORS, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'ro ISABELLA M. CUTLER,

F GLENDALE, oALIEoRNIA.

SELECTIVE VENDING MACHINE.

Application filed September The present inventionrelates to selective vending machines and has for its principal object the provision of a simple machine adapted to contain a plurality of articles to be vended, and including mechanism whereby any one of all the contained, articles may be selected by the operator and obtained uponfeeding the requisite coin to the machine. 3

Another object of the invention is to provide for employing a movable Or revoluble magazine, embodying a plurality of article holding means, without employing individual means, such as closures, spring clips, or the like, for holding the articles in place.

Another object of the invention is to provide afselective Vending machine which is quickly replenished.

Another object of the invention is to. provide comparatively simple mechanism well adapted for selectively moving and vending articles such as boxed sandwiches, candy bars and other articles requiring careful handling and proper preservation.

Still other objects and advantages of our invention will appear hereinafter and will be better understood because of the order in which they occur.

We have-illustrated, by the accompanying drawings, one practical embodiment of our invention, and a modification thereof.

In the said drawings; Figure 1 is. a view in front elevation of the said embodiment, with the front wall broken away to reveal the interior. I

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation on smaller scale of the said embodiment.

Figure 3 is a view in elevation, on a small scale, of the said embodiment with the front wall in place. i i

Figure 4 is a view in-rear elevation of. the lower half of the machine,.showing the rear wall broken away to reveal ,mechanismcom tained, in the interior. v a

Figure 5 is a view in section .seen on a line 5-5. 1

Figure 6 is a viewin section seen on a line .Figure 7 is a view in section seen on a line 7-7.

1n carrying out our invention in the present embodiment we employa casing 10, having front and rrear walls 1;1 and 12 respec- 2, 1925. Serial No. 54,074.

adaptedto revolve freely. The frame is located adjacent the rear wall of the casing while the shaft protrudes to a point adjacent the front wall. The latter wall is provided with a co-axial sight opening 18, thru which the? revoluble magazine may be seen. heavy glass plate 19 covers the sight openmg. i

The magazine isof simple construction embodying spaced disc walls 20 and 21 respectively, joined by a central sleeve 22, which revolves directly on the shaft 17 Intermediate of the spaced walls, and further connecting the walls to each other, are provided aplurality of substantially radiallv disposed walls 23 dividing the space between the discs into a plurality of article holding pockets 23. Each pocket is open at the outer end, and closed at the inner end as I It will be apparent now that articles such as 25, may be carried in the article holders, and the articles above the horizontal center line of the shaft will be held in place by gravity while the articles in the lower hold- 61's will tend to gravitate out of the respec tive holders, particularly the lowermost article. No closures, spring clips, friction elements, or thelike are needed to hold the ar' ticles in place, as will appear immediately Wall 25 may therefore be said to loosely encompass the magazine so that same isrevoluble relative to said wall, while the wall holds the article in place within respective Thewall is continued around the or portion of the magazine inasholders. lower ma] much as gravity willhold the articles in place in the upper holders, even against the slight centrifugal force to which they might be subject when the magazine is revolved.

It will be apparent now, that as the magazine is revolved relative to the guide wall, the outer ends of the articles will slide freely along the said wall. The friction of each article, on the wall, is only directly proportional to the weight of the article, when that article is in lowermost position, and the friction decreases as the article is moved upwardly at a rate directly proportional to the increment of the sines of the angle at which the articles are disposed relative to the vertical. Therefore it is practical to permit the magazine to be I'GVOlXeCl at a fair rate of speed and it is also practical to provide for a possible purchaser being able to freely revolve the magazine in either direction, independent of any other mechanism, so that he may have full choice of any one of the several contained articles. The magazine is moved by means of a pulley flange 28, carried by the inner wall 21, and a belt 29 running over the wall pulley and leading to a smaller pulley 30. The smaller pulley is fixed to a shaft 81 extending horizontally out thru the front wall of the casing and terminating in aselecting handle 32. Thereby, any person externally of the machine, without necessarily depositing a coin in the machine, may move the article holder in either direction to bring any selected one of the several articles into proper position.

In the present embodiment a discharge chute 33 is located below the magazine so that the lowermost article holder will be in discharging registration therewith. The chute opens out thru the front wall in a dis charge opening as at 34. Obviously, the guard or guide wall will act as a barrier to prevent unauthorized removal of the articles thru the chute.

In conformity with a salient feature of our invention, a suitable closure is provided in the guard wall just above the chute. Said closure in the present embodiment comprises a pair of downwardly opening closure mem bers 36 and 37 respectively, hinged to the wall as at 38. At the rear end of each closure an integral vertical ear 39 is provided. The closures are adapted to be moved to open position, in which they assume a vertical position, the chute being spaced sufficlently below the guard wall to allow the closure to move to such position. The closures, in vertical open position, provide a practical upward continuation of the chute. It will be apparent now that when the closures are opened, provided the lowermost holder is properly aligned therewith the article in the registered holder will gravitate freely into the chute, from which it may be taken by the purchaser.

Coin controlled means for moving the closure to open position, as well the means for accurately registering a holder with the chute, just prior to opening of the closure, will now be described.

The rear wall of the magazine, carries ,a ring 41 which is provided with a plurality of teeth 42, one for each holder, and providing intermediate \l' notches 43. coin chute 44 is provided which extends from a coin slot 45 downwardly behind the magazine to a coin ejecting lower end 46. The chute is comparatively long and any suitable slug eliminators and the like (notshown) may be disposed between the slot and the discharge end of the chute.

Externally of the casing there is provided an operating lever 47 which is fixed to a rock shaft 48. Said shaft extends .into the casing and carries a segment 49 movable therewith. Another segment 50 is loosely mounted on the shaft and carries a step 51 arranged to come below the segment 49. oegment 49 is provided with a coin slot 52 arranged to align with the discharge end of the coin chute. Thelast named segment is provided with an integral sleeve 53 running loose on the shaft, and integral with said sleeve there is provided a cam 54. It will be apparent now that rocking of the segment 50 will not affect the segment 49 or the cam 54 because the foot of segment 50 will move under segment 49 without engaging it. lVhen a coin is introduced to the coin chute it will move into the slot in segment 49 and form a physical connection between the two segments. When the coin is so positioned, rocking of the operating lever and rock shaft will cause the cam to move in the direction indicated by the arrow. Return of the op erating lever, when released, causes the segment 50 to return before the other segment so that the coin is allowed to fall out of the slot in segment 49, into a coin box (not shown). Means for so controlling one segment with regard to the other, are not shown or described herein inasmuch as such means is set forth fully in our co-pending application; coin controlled mechanisms for vending machines,'Serial Number 48,274.

Cam 54 has a short co-aXial circumferential surface 55, a longer circumferential surface 56 on a greater radius, and a connecting incline 57 leading from surface 54 to surface 55. A centering bar 58 is provided, having a pointed end 58 adapted to be moved into any aligned V notch to move the magazineso that an article holder is in correct registration with the closures. Said bar has a rounded end 59 hearing normally 011 surface 55. Upon the movement of the cam in the direction indicated, the rod will be forced outwardly by the incline surface 57 until the rounded end of the bar rides on surface 56. WVhen on said surface the cam may be turned further without further affecting the rod. The rodis held in sliding contiguity with the frame by means of pins and slots and 61 respectively. The cam is limited in its movements by a pin 62 carried by the frame and protruding into an arcuate slot 63, the ends of which predetermine the corresponding movement of the cam. About diametrically opposite to surface 56 there is provided a co-aXial surface 64;, another (to-axial surface 65, on a greater radius than surface 6 1, and still another surface 66 on the same radius as surface 64:- Steps 67 and 68 respectively connect surfaces 64 and 66 respectively with surface 65. A closure-opening lever 69 is provided whlch is pivoted to the frame on a shaft 70 at a point midway of the extent of surface 65, when the cam is in normal inoperative position. The lever has an elongated end 71 extended over toward the closures, and an arcuate portion 72 curved around surface 65. A lug 76 on the lever, normally bears against surface 6st while on the other side of the pivot point another lug 77 bears on surface 65. It will be apparent now that as thecam is moved in the direction indicated the step will act on lug 76 to move the outermost end of the arm downwardly, about the time that said step reaches the lug, the surface will have passed from under lug 7 7 and will allow the outermost end of the arm to descend. Lug 77 in engagement with surface 65 prevents the closure-opening lever from being moved except after the camhas turned. The outer end of the lever carries links 78 pivoted thereto as at 7 9 and pivoted to the ears of the closure as at 80. Therefore with the cam in normal position the closures cannot be opened by any means since lug 77 is held against movement by surface 65. A spring 86 holds the lever in the positionshown and acts to return the closures and the lever to normal position.

In the operation of the machine the selecting handle may be turned at any time, independently of the coin controlled mechanism. By 'looking-thru the glass covering the contents of the machine are seen at a glance. Since all of the articles are visible it is not necessary to turn the selecting handle in order to bring the articles into view. When an article is selected the handle is turned until that article is lowermost. Then a coin is inserted in the coin slot, and falls to the coin carrying segment. ing of the operating lever causes the coin to drive the stepped segment so that the cam is moved in the direction indicated. After the manner heretofor explained, rocking of the cam causes the magazine to be centered to bring the nearest article holder or pocket into true registration with the closures. Further movement of the cam opens the closures as explained and the ar- Rocky ticle is free to drop out into thedischarge chute.

In Figure 8, we have shown the machine in which there is provided two spaced pulleys 100 and 101, over which runs a belt 102. The pulleys, or either of them, may be driven by a selecting handle or other similar means (not shown) just as the magazine in the first described machine is driven. In this form of the invention the belt is fitted with a plurality of article holders 104. Each holder includes side walls 105, end walls 106, and a bottom wall 107. The holders are each open at the outermost end as at 108. The bottom wall of each holder is riveted to the flexible belt as at 109. It will be apparent now, that as the belt is revolved the holders may be caused to successively pass overthe closure and each holder is adapted to loosely contain any suitable size of article. To retain the articles in place there is provided, a guide wall 110, which encompassesthe pockets exceptas at 111, where such wall is not needed. In this form of the invention thecasing 11 is of course elongated, and a comparatively high machinemay be so made to carry a' greater quantity of articles than can be carried .by the first described form of the invention.

While we have shown and described two forms of our invention and have described and shown specific constructions and' arrangements of parts, we do not limit ourselves to any special construction or arrangement of parts and may alter same as we'desire, or as occasion requires, without enlarging the scope of our invention within the appended claims.

Having described our-invention, what we claim is: I

1. In a vending machine an annular wall, a revoluble magazine disposed within said wall and revoluble co-axially thereof; said magazine provided with a plurality of peripheral pockets each having an open side adjacent to said wall whereby said magazine may contain a plurality of articles to move slidably over said wall as the magazine is revolved, a casing enclosing said wall and said magazine and providing a discharge opening, a movable closure adjacent said discharge opening and forming a part of said annular wall and arranged to permit of such articles passing slidaloly thereover as the magazine is revolved, a selecting handle extending outside of said casing, connections between said selecting handle and said magazine whereby any selected article contained in said magazine may be brought to rest directly upon said closure, and discharge mech anism operable to move said closure to open position.

2. In a selective vending machine, a casing having a wall, a closure in said wall movable to open and closed positions respectiveall 1y, a movable magazine in said casing adapted to loosely contain a plurality of articles to be vended, a selecting handle, operable externally of the casing, connected to said magazine to move same to bring any selected one of the contained articles into registration with said closure, a lock for said closure, and a mechanism operable to first release said lock and to subsequently move said closure to open position.

In a selective vending machine, a cas ing having a wall, a closure in said wall movable to open and closed positions respectively, a movable magazine in said casing adapted to loosely contain a plurality of: articles to be vended, a selecting handle, operable externally of the casing, connected to said magazine to move same to bring any selected one of the contained articles into registration with said closure, a lock for said closure, and a mechanism operable to first release said lock and to subsequently move said closure to open position, and returning means urging said closure to closed position.

4. In a selective vending machine, a casinghaving a wall, a closure in said wall movable to open and closed positions respectively, a movable magazine in said casing adapted to loosely contain a plurality of articles to be vended, a selecting handle, operable externally of the casing, connected to said magazine to move same to bring any se lected one of the contained articles into registration with said closure, a lock for said closure, and a mechanism operable to first release said lock and to subsequently move said closure to open position, and returning means urging said closure to closed position, said returning means further operative to automatically operate the locking means to lock the returning closure.

5. In a selective vending machine, a casing adapted to contain articles to be vended, a wall to said casing, a closure in said wall, means in said casing for collectively moving the contained articles so that they pass slidably over said wall and closure; said closure movable to open position to allow an aligned article to gravitate therethru, selective means to dispose any selected one of such articles in alignment with the closure, and operating mechanism for moving said closure to open position, centering means connected to said coin controlled mechanism so that first movement of mechanism will act to center the movable means just prior to opening of the closure, and locking means for holding said closure in closed position, and means operable on first movement of the mechanism to release said locking means.

6. In a selective vending machine, a mag azine revoluble on a horizontal axis and having a plurality o1" radially disposed on?- wardly opening pockets, a guard wall encom- Missing at least the lowermost part of said magazine; said pockets each adapted to loosely contain an article to be vended, a closure in a lower part of said wall movable to open position to rel-ease an article contained in a pocket which is registered therewith, a fixed casing enclosing the magazine, a selecting handle operable externally of the casing, connections between said handle'and magazine whereby the magazine may be moved to dispose any selected pocket in registration with said closure, a star wheel carried by said magazine, a centering rod movable to coactwith the star wheel to bring the nearest pocket into correct registration with said closure, a cam, mechanism for moving said cam, a closure operating lever arranged to be operated by movement'of said cam to move the closure to open position; said cam provided with surfaces disposed to be engaged by one end of said centering lever whereby first movement of the cam to open said closures will move said centering rod into operative engagement with said star wheel.

In testimony whereof We aifix our signatures.

WILLIAM C. CUTLER. BRYCE A. SMITH. OTTO WV. TIMM.

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